A Newfound Understanding
by A Beautiful Contradiction
Summary: First Naruto fic. Edited and revised cause some things didn't sound right. Kinda fluffy InoxSaku


Just a story I thought about late last night as it was storming horribly outside. I was lying on my couch and thought about what would happen if Sakura had a nightmare at Ino's apartment. Written in Ino's POV, so that's why some sentences sound broken up. Mostly she's describing stuff when she does that. I don't own the characters, just the idea for this fic. Enjoy!

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Ino's POV

My eyes shot open and reflex threw me into a defensive stance as I sat up on the couch in my apartment. My pupils dilated to try to scan the small room for danger, only to relax as I discovered the source of the gut wrenching crash. It was only a thunderstorm. Dang, they can be annoying. I threw my hands up in the air in frustration and fell backwards onto the couch, my left arm falling over my stomach and my right supporting my head. This wasn't going to be as restful of a night as I thought it was going to be. Not that sleeping on my couch was very restful, it's just that my bed was already occupied, and the occupant had just come back from a traumatizing mission. She had witnessed the death of some of her other friends she had made in other villages when she was doing recon in enemy territory. And I wasn't about to let her go home to an empty apartment. Not after something like that. So I insisted she stay here for a couple of days. And she had shown me thanks by showering and then passing out from exhaustion on my bed, and without so much as a "Thank you, Ino!". That's what upset me. I mean, Sakura and I weren't on the best of terms as it is, so this gesture was just another notch against her in my book. But after seeing her rest peacefully for once, I decided not to press the issue. Besides, when the moonlight hit her figure, she looked like an angel of the night. And everyone knows that it is unwise to wake angels. So that's how I ended up on the couch. I really need to invest in a better couch. It's big, but it's pretty broken up. Springs digging into my back. Ugly rips in the faded cobalt upholstery. Yeah I definitely need a better couch. Or maybe just a bigger bed. Once I got to sleep, everything was okay, but stupid nature just had to pour out it's wrath at 3:30 freaking am. Now, I'm always up for a good challenge, but not when it comes to sleeping. I don't know how long a laid there with my eyes closed, sleep evading me at every clash of lightning and boom of thunder. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I heard a soft rain fall on the window adjacent to me. Thank God Hell's rain torrent is finally over. Maybe now I can… get some good… rest. Ah, peaceful dreams, where did we leave off?

"Ino?"

Is that someone calling me or is that my dream? The voice is soothing, so it must be a part of my dream. Maybe I'll hear it again.

"Ino. Wake up."

Oh no, it's a real voice. Why now? Just as I was about to drift off again. Maybe if I just keep relaxing, that voice will go away.

"Ino. Please wake up. I need to talk to you."

Okay okay, stop shaking me! That voice. So smooth yet rough. Soft yet firm. Hopeful yet hurting. The voice of the angel. I crack open my eyes slightly, trying to see who decided to disturb me. Messy bed head, dark circles under the eyes, and a pale face. An angel. Well, at least that what she was to me, and that's all that mattered. But why would she need me? I'm not in the least bit as pure as she is. Damn this couch is killing me. I sit up, trying to get some relief from the unforgiving couch.

"Sakura? What's wrong?"

Lightning continued to clash everywhere, illuminating the room almost constantly. Tears built up in her eyes and began slow and small streams down her face. Just seeing that picture is enough to break anyone's heart, and mine was already broken for her, so my heart resorted to crying with her. Rule 25 you idiot. Oh screw it! I felt hot tears also starting to build up in my eyes. She fell to her knees in front of me and laid her head in my lap, crying softly, like a young child. I was stunned. I didn't know what to say, so I just ran my hands through her pink locks, smoothing out the rough bed head. Even though her hair looks bad, it's still soft and silky, and it flows through my fingers with almost grace like choreography, like they had done such a dance before. I whispered calming words and watched as her head moved to the side, laying her right cheek on my left leg. I used the opportunity to wipe away the tears pooling around her nose and continue whispering soothing words to her. I brought my head down to hers and laid my forehead on her left temple, wanting her to know I was here for her. Blonde strands of my hair mixed with her pink ones, creating streaks of color within each other's hair. She started sniffling, signaling the end of her crying. I don't remember how long we stayed like that either. I was only aware of heavy breathing and more sniffles coming from Sakura. Eventually I decided to pull my head up and watched her look up at me, face still pale from the tears, but now she has bloodshot eyes. Wow, her eyes are beautiful. She continued to look at me, and I, being the genius I am, said the first thing on my mind.

"You look rough."

That got a half-hearted smile and a small chuckle from my pink haired friend. But after the wonderful ice breaker, her face once again deteriorated into the way it was before the crying session began. Not wanting to go through the pain of seeing her cry again, I decided to change the subject.

"What happened? Why are you up so late?"

She looked up at me again with those sad eyes, and I could feel my heart start to twist again. She probably could've gotten anything she wanted right then and there, cause I wouldn't have been able to say no.

"I couldn't sleep."

Oh, so this was what was bothering her.

"Did the storm wake you up?"

She shook her head. Wow, if she slept through _that_ she must have been utterly exhausted. I couldn't blame her though, after all the crap she had already been through.

"I had a nightmare."

I should've known. After that mission, I probably would've had nightmares too. I placed a hand under her arm and pulled her up onto the couch next to me. I then got up and went to the kitchen, turned on the light and pulled out a couple of tea bags. Maybe the scents and tastes of the peppermint, chamomile and jasmine teas would help calm her. I had become an expert at mixing just the right amounts of different types of teas together to get just the perfect combination, both soothing to the senses and delicious to the taste. Leaving the concoction to brew on the stove, I returned to the couch and rested my back against the arm of it. Sakura hadn't moved from where I placed her and was silently staring at the ground near her feet. I can't stand just seeing her like this. I need to break her trance.

"Want to talk about it? You'll probably feel better."

The sound of my voice had done it. Her head turned up to look at me and the expression on her face was unmistakable. She was scared. I sat up a bit, as if to silently ask her to get on with telling me, if she was going to at all. Finally, a nod. Her voice is unstable and hoarse.

"I… I dreamt that I was out on the mission again. Akari, Naomi, Hayate, and Wataru were lying in front of me. Akari was all torn up, her kimono was shredded and there was a kunai in her chest… And… so was Naomi. The boys were farther up ahead and had been protecting the three of us. Hayate… he had tried to take on two of them and his neck was broken. Wataru… he was face down …. and had several kunai in his back. I… I couldn't do anything to help them."

I saw her heave her face into her hands and begin crying again. Dang, what is it about seeing Sakura cry that makes me so upset? I had to calm her down again. I got up, ignoring her quiet sobs for now and finished fixing the special blend of tea. I hope this works. I brought the hot cup to her and watched as she took a small sip of it.

"Thank you, Ino-chan."

Woah. Since when did she start using "-chan" again? That caught me off guard. I barely remember muttering a welcome to her and went to prepare a cup for myself. When I got back, she had stopped her tears, and her cup was half gone. I guess the tea did do the trick. I sat down in the same fashion as I had before and was silent. What do you say to someone who had to go through that? _'Oh, its okay, time heals all wounds. They were only doing their job. There was nothing you could do about it.'_ In truth, there is nothing I can say. I resigned myself to just listening to her, just being there for her. That's the best I could do.

"I couldn't save them during the real thing either. I was too weak. I still am. It's not fair I'm still alive and they're all… gone."

Something snapped in me and I shot up and leaned close to her. I will not tolerate her talking down on herself like that.

"Don't even think for one second you're weak, or that you don't deserve to be here, do you hear me? Yes, we lost some allies and friends. Now we take their sacrifice and exact revenge, making their passing worth that sacrifice. But you will NOT condemn yourself like that, understand?"

I startled her. I don't care. I watched as she stared at her tea cup, and after watching small swirls of steam rise from the cup, she took another small sip and sighed heavily.

"I-Ino… c-can I…"

This stuttering was killing me. Why can't she just say what's on her mind without thinking?

"What Sakura? Just spit it out."

"C-can I sleep with you tonight?"

I could feel my insides churn, but not out of sickness. I felt suprised and nervous. I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded. I stood and motioned for her to get up. I set down my tea on the table and began straightening the covers on the couch. I finished and turned out the kitchen light, then walked over to and lay down on the couch, pushing myself as far back into it as I could. I wonder how much sleep I'll get now. This damn couch! I'm gonna thrown it out the window! My thoughts were shaken up as Sakura clambered in behind me and turned away from me on her side, knees slightly bent, resting her head on the pillow we now shared, supported by my arm. At such close proximity, it was easy to feel her warm body relaxing into me. It was awkward at first, but it felt good to finally come to an understanding with Sakura again,even though it had to happen in these dark times. I lazily draped my right arm over the pink haired ninja and felt her sigh heavily.

"Ino-chan?"

"Hmm?"

The next thing I know she's arched her head towards me, causing her to lean into me more. It's now too dark to really see anything, and I don't know if Sakura meant to do that or not, but I felt something warm and wet on my lips. I stiffened up. Was she really…? She was! Part of me wanted to scream and push her off the couch, but another part of me decided to knock out the other part and told me to just let it happen. So I listened to the more prominent voice. It felt awkward, but oddly nice. I don't know what's going to happen from here, but as she pulled back gently I could sense a comfort I hadn't felt in a while.

"Whoops, sorry, I meant to catch your forehead or your cheek."

"I... uh... it's ok, Sakura."

I could just imagine our faces. They were probably so flushed we looked sunburnt, but nothing more was discussed about it. Feeling her turn back around, the room was once again quiet, save for the soft rain, still falling on the window.

All of a sudden, the couch didn't feel so uncomfortable.

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What do you think? Slow? Sweet? Bad? Please review!!!! Thanks!!! 

-Kiki


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